How the Years Burn
by Elsie Eleazar
Summary: Meelo burns for years upon years over the beautiful Asami. Will he ever triumph is his quest for her love?
1. Chapter 1

Asami Soto is gorgeous. Raven black hair, pale silky skin, huge golden eyes, and blood red lips that twitched through volumes of emotions, even as she tried to keep the rest of her face a mask. If I couldn't touch her, or smell her, or feel the heat her body radiated when I passed by too close I would have thought her to be a spirit. What grace, what strength, what beauty! All inside a single individual. It didn't seem fair. It felt like a misbalance of the forces of nature. Yet she was still there, the seasons changed, the earth continued it's dancing spin. And Asami, the name that reverberates through my skull, the name that's at the tip of my tongue at all moments, will never love me.

I remember the first time she said my name. It was a giggling admonishment for knocking over a row of statues in the garden while airbending. I was hoping to impress her with the strength of my wind blast, but as I jumped up to gather the flow of air, I glanced at her, watching me and anticipating the great feat I had promised to show her, and as my feet hit the ground my ankle rolled to the side reducing the strength of the blast and sending it off course into the statues.

"Meelo!" she giggled.

I was bombarded with emotions: dread at my blunder, embarrassment that I failed in front of her, delight of how she spoke my name, curious wonder at her light song-like giggle, and fear of what my father will say when he sees that I ruined seven or so historical artifacts.

"I, I'm sorry, Asami! I can do it again! It's just my foot, then my ankle and the air and then the blast and I. Let me try again! I can do it again!"

"No, no Meelo. That was great. Very impressive. You're going to be a very great airbender one day."

She was fawning, over ME. It may be a tad condescending, but it was happening. I'm just glad that I didn't start drooling in front of her.

Bashfully, I replied with my thanks.

That happened when I was eleven years old. She was seven years my senior and going out with that hothead Mako. A huge butthead, all moody and frowny. I don't know what she or Korra ever saw in that jerk. Bolin was at least fun and happy. I don't know how I could ever get her to think of me as more than a child. I'm seventeen now. I'm a man, I'm the kind of man that a woman of her caliber needs to cherish and love her. But why doesn't she see that?


	2. Chapter 2

Every encounter I have had with Asami, in the real world that is, has been painfully embarrassing for me. I am not a typically clumsy, inept, slow-witted individual, however, locked in the stare of the embodiment of perfection, I am transformed.

The year I turned 14, my father graciously allowed me to have a celebration. Since I had spent most of my life on the island, it was a small party, but I pleaded with those coming to invite other people as well, merely for the experience of meeting other people. I desperately wanted to get a formal education in the city, but my father was so paranoid.

Korra and Mako were together at this point, Bolin had brought a pretty girl who he claimed was just a friend (to her obvious dismay), and Asami, sweet Asami, brought her cousin, Mirra. Mirra looked just like Asami, except she had tanner skin and freckles across her cheekbones and nose. The golden-spoked eyes must be hereditary, for Mirra had them too. Her eyes were flighty, frightened, never comfortable to settle on a single place for more than a few seconds. Her whole existence quivered and trembled as she fought hard to stay still. She was jumpy, but she had an amazing wit, if you could manage to get her to talk to you.

Asami introduced us when she arrived. I made momentary eye contact with Mirra, then proceeded to attempt to make a coherent and interesting sentence. Instead, I thanked her a bit too violently for the small gift wrapped box she handed me, and she just smiled.

"Mirra, Meelo is a very talented airbender. Would you show her something, Meelo?" she tipped her head and gave a beaming smile, as if she knew there was no possible way for me to refuse her.

"Sure, Asami! What would you like to see?"

"Anything would be fantastic."

I lead them both a little ways a way from the other group. Mirra, a smaller, jumpier clone of her cousin stood in stark contrast to the confident, straight-backed spirit that stole my dreams. I began going through some basic forms, creating swirls and lifting rocks and twigs and leaves around like a juggler. Then using a tendril move I made their hair dance about, which seemed to deeply perturb Mirra who gasped and leaped backwards. I quickly moved on to a spinning orb upon which I rode around them, and in a spurt of courage, I grasped Mirra's tiny wrist and pulled her up close against me as I stood on the orb, her feet on top of mine. I must say, looking back, it could be considered quite romantic. But at that moment, it was extremely awkward, and the expression on her face was one of complete terror and the desire to pee her pants. Finally, I allowed to orb to disperse and placed her back on her feet. As she went to quickly run away, she stumbled and fell. I quickly assisted her back to her feet, and she quickly ran away like she originally intended.

Asami was completely over her head, though. I couldn't be bothered worrying about Mirra when Asami was singing my praises, and asking if I could take her for an air-orb ride sometime too. I stood, tomato red, nodding, saying "Thank you" when I could but mostly I was just too struck to say anything. Finally, she admitted that she should go find Mirra, apologizing for her cousin's shyness. I reassured her that it was fine.

Mirra returned to the party, and the party progressed into the dinner, the dessert, the gift opening, and a lengthy speech from my father. As the guests were preparing to leave after their little naps, I approached Mirra, wishing to extend my apologies.

"Oh, that's alright. You were just trying to be nice."

"I was out of line. I should have asked first."

"No, it was, it was fun... in a way."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's good then."

"Well, yes." she paused. "Asami brought me because my parents told her that I need to socialize more. I have an issue with not saying anything or saying the wrong things. But Asami actually told me quite a lot about you beforehand. It was the only way she could convince me to come. I, well, I really do like you, Meelo."

"Oh. Well, thank you. I welcome you to visit us anytime."

"Thank you."

And that is essentially the beginning of a brief, one-sided courtship, in which Mirra tried to gain my favor, and in my blindsighted desire for Asami, I saw none of it. Mirra would come around with Asami once a week, and somehow Asami would always get away from us. In the end, I discovered what was going on. In my let down of Mirra, I simultaneously offended Asami, making her believe that I had said that I was too good for her cousin, when in actuality, I was trying to mumble out an apology/profession of love. It was awful, and ended with me watching Asami walk off in an angry march, towing the sobbing Mirra with her. A week passed and I had an epiphany: write her a letter. A letter would allow me to say what I wanted without becoming tongue tied and misunderstood. Asami forgave me, though I don't think Mirra ever did.

I hate to say it, but Mirra was inevitable collateral, the unavoidable wreckage that comes with conquest.


End file.
